“What are you?”he demanded out loud.There was no way to have this conversation in his head when it was occupied by an agitated wolf who only wanted to mount their mate and procreate.“Who are you?”
You know who I am.
“Why haven’t you talked to me before?”
Go to our mate.
“Damn it, answer me!”
No pack.No reason.
No pack.The revelation staggered him.There weren’t packs in Scotland because there weren’t wolves there anymore.His father told him they had to hide their dual nature, so they had to be isolated.Never talk about their shifter side, even if they met another shifter.Push their beast into a corner of their mind and ignore him.Now his wolf implied that packs brought communication between man and wolf.This was all so confusing and he was going to need more than a few minutes to wrap his head around the new jaw-dropping surprise.
I want our mate.
“Wait a fucking minute!”he snapped, standing straight.Now he felt like pacing, going back and forth in agitation.“I’m having an existential crisis, thanks to your silence.How could you do this to me?I thought all the great things I’d heard about being a wolf were a load of bullshit.”
Nothing.
“Don’t you dare stay silent, you mangy wolf!”
I’ll talk for our mate.
“Listen,” he snapped.“First and foremost, we are married to another woman.We aren’t free to be with our mate.”
His wolf calmed down, cocking his head to listen.How he knew the motions of his wolf, he didn’t know.It was ...implied.Understood?Logical?It was hard to determine the right words to use about how his wolf acted.He’d always believed the beast was a parasite leeching off him, only revealing himself once a month during the full moon.
“Okay,” he said, trying to focus.“We’re going into that diner to talk to our mate, but remember, I’m still a married man.We are not going to do anything until we track down my wife and get her to sign the divorce papers.”
His wolf didn’t like that, but he also understood.The pacing ceased and he sat down on his haunches to wait.Tavish would never disrespect the vows he took, despite being in a forced marriage.
Walking back into the diner, he immediately looked in the back booth for his woman, but she wasn’t there.Disappointment surged through him, and it pissed his wolf off.
You lose our mate, I’ll never talk to you again.
“Is that supposed to scare me?”he muttered under his breath.“Not a single peep in thirty years and suddenly you’re very chatty.Where’ve you been?”
I’ve always been here, my human.
Just then, a woman walked up to him and the surge of power emanating from her let him know this was the luna of the pack, Jericho’s mate, with a little baby bump barely visible.He bowed his head in respect.
“Welcome,” she greeted.“Haven’t seen you before.”
“Just passing through,” he replied.
“From across the pond, I take it.”
He nodded.“A business trip.If you don’t mind, what happened to the lady in the back booth?”
The luna glanced where he indicated.“Oh, they both left.With your accent, you must be Mairi’s—”
Just then his cell phone rang as he was about to ask for more information on his runaway wife.Once glance showed a number from Colorado.
“Excuse me,” he said to the luna.She nodded, smiled, and stepped away as he accepted the call.“MacAlary here.”
“Lord MacAlary, this is Ledger Klayman, beta to the Sheridan Pack.I believe Alpha Jericho told you to expect my call.”
“Aye, he did.”
